Search

An education program for hospital physicians and family doctors including up to date knowledge on diagnosis, prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism has been elaborated, chiefly within the framework of hospital consensus conferences. Postgraduate consensus meetings led by representatives of specialities interested in prophylaxis of venous thrombosis have been held in 64 hospitals all over the country during the years 1996 to 2002, with a total number of more than 10,000 doctors working in hospital or general practice. In contrast to descriptive reports offered so far on drugs, the aim was a comprehensive clinical review of the problem, according to the principle of "disease management". By this way not only new diagnostic, therapeutic and prophylactic methods were presented but we managed to shape a new attitude based on new pathophysiological findings. As a result of the conferences the incidence and mortality of venous thromboembolism has decreased both on hospital and national levels. The consensus meetings acting as local interdisciplinary postgraduate forums have been supported by the Hungarian Thrombosis and Haemostasis Society and the haemostasis workshops of the country (Budapest, Debrecen, Pécs, Szombathely). Shaping the principles and methods for prophylaxis and therapy of venous thromboembolism can be regarded as a model which can subsequently be adapted to the problems of arterial thrombosis as well.

Until recently the treatment options in chronic myeloid leukaemia comprised non-curative chemotherapy (formerly busulfan and dibrommanitol, later hydroxyurea and interferon) and the potentially curative allogeneic stem cell transplantation (for the minority of patients). Increasing knowledge about the pathomechanisms of disease has led to the development of a specific and highly effective molecular therapy. This stem cell disorder, characterized by the Philadelphia chromosome is dependent on the constitutively active tyrosine kinase activity of the BCR-ABL oncoprotein. A novel promising treatment modality is the selective inhibition of the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase, by the Signal Transduction inhibitor (STI 571) imatinib mesylate which may cause a high response rate of clinical and cytogenetic remission and raise hope for a possible cure of disease by drug therapy alone. Combination of imatinib with established or investigational antileukaemic agents may lead to an increased response rate and remission duration. Further experience will show its "final" place in the treatment algorythm of chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Introduction: Fludarabine is the most commonly used purine analog, its mechanism of action is complex. Fludarabine inhibits DNA synthesis, acts on non-dividing (G0 phase) cells influencing apoptosis., Patients, Results, Conclusions: In our institute 47 patients were treated with fludarabine or fludarabine based combination chemotherapy. Fludarabine was given in 19 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), complete remission (CR) was achieved in one case, partial remission (PR) was obtained in 10 patients. Fludarabine was more effective in patients who received less intensive chemotherapy prior to fludarabine therapy and in those patients who had less advanced diseases. Elderly patients (over sixty years of age) also responded to fludarabine therapy. Fludarabine and cyclophosphamide combination (FCy) were used in three lymphocytic lymphoma patients, two of them obtained PR, in the third case the disease progressed. Fludarabine + mitoxantrone (Novantrone) + dexamethasone (FND) regimen was administered in nine patients who were previously heavily treated (one patient with B-CLL, one with T-CLL, one with peripheral T-cell lymphoma and six with indolent B-cell lymphoma). More patients and longer follow up is needed to determine the efficacy of FCy and FND protocol. FLAG-IDA (fludarabine, high dose Ara-C, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, idarubicin) was applied in 16 acute leukaemia patients with poor prognosis including therapy refractory and relapsing cases. Three CR and two PR, one CR and three PR was achieved in nine patients with acute myeloid leukaemia and in seven patients with acute lymphoid leukaemia, respectively. For this reason, despite the short period of remission, this regimen can be recommended to patients who are candidate for stem cell transplantation.